Oakland Raiders notebook: Offensive line takes more injury hits

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Raiders offensive line had its hands full against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday even in the best of circumstances.

Imagine the task when the offensive line was forced to play with career right guard Mike Brisiel at center and rookies Lamar Mady and Matt McCants summoned for duty in the middle of the game.

"It's something we've been battling, but it's the name of the game," Brisiel said. "You've got to keep moving on. You've got to find a way. We can't use that as an excuse. We've got to keep moving forward somehow."

The Raiders entered Sunday's game with a makeshift offensive line that was minus two starters and with one starter playing out of position.

Things got worse in the second quarter when backup center Andre Gurode left the game with a knee injury. That necessitated Brisiel sliding over to center, a position he last played in 2007 when he was in NFL Europe.

Matters got almost comical when right tackle Tony Pashos left the game at halftime with a groin injury.

Gurode and Pashos were playing only because of injuries to center Stefen Wisniewski and left tackle Jared Veldheer.

The Chiefs showed that they could get to quarterback Terrelle Pryor from the outset. However, seven of their 10 sacks came after Gurode and Pashos were gone.

"As good as they are on defense, you want to have all of your weapons, all of your guys up front to protect," Raiders coach Dennis Allen said. "But that's the NFL, and we have to be able to go out and function and play. We weren't able to do that (Sunday)."

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By halftime, the Raiders had no offensive linemen playing the position they played last season or were projected to play this season.

Raiders rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden once again turned in a feast-or-famine performance that showed he still is adjusting to life in the NFL.

On a second-quarter drive, Hayden got beat for 17 yards on a pass to receiver Dwayne Bowe and committed a pass interference penalty on a third-and-10 play.

The latter play gave the Chiefs 17 yards and a first down at the Raiders 7-yard line. The Chiefs scored a tying touchdown on the next play.

"I didn't get my head around," Hayden said in explaining the penalty. "All I got to do is get my head around and I'll be all right."

Hayden atoned for his spotty play by forcing a fumble on a short pass to receiver Donnie Avery. Safety Charles Woodson recovered the loose ball.

"I don't care if it's D.J. or whoever out there, you're going to get some pass interference calls," Woodson said of Hayden's performance, "but you can't quit playing. We know he's not going to quit playing. He came up with a huge play when they were driving down."

The Raiders seem to have Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles' number.

Charles scored two touchdowns, but that owed more to favorable field position than what Charles did. He finished with 78 yards on 22 carries for a 3.5-yard average. He averaged 4.3 in the Chiefs' first five games.

Last season, Charles rushed for 1,495 yards and averaged 5.5 yards in 14 games against teams other than the Raiders. He totaled 14 yards on 14 carries in two games against the Raiders.

Raiders running backs Darren McFadden and Rashad Jennings played despite hamstring injuries. They combined for 64 yards on 20 carries and four receptions for 40 yards.

Sebastian Janikowski missed short on a 51-yard field-goal attempt early in the second quarter. That marked his fourth miss this season, one more than he missed last season.

The Chiefs padded their league-leading sacks total (31) with 10. The Raiders sacked Alex Smith three times and improved their season total to 16.

Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes was active for the first time since he returned from a four-game suspension. He had one pass directed his way.

The Raiders averaged 8.8 penalties for 67.2 yards their first five games. They got flagged 11 times for 68 yards against the Chiefs.

The Chiefs broke the world record for an outdoor sports stadium when they reached 137.5 decibels in the closing minutes. An official from Guinness World Records told The Associated Press that Chiefs fans broke the record of 136.6 set by Seattle Seahawks fans during a game against the 49ers earlier this year.

To put that in perspective, a jet engine at 100 feet is about 140 decibels.